As part of recent efforts to expel Afghan refugees from and , Pakistani police in have warned Afghan residents of the Kohati Camp to vacate the camp quickly and return to their home country.
Refugees there say police have treated them harshly, shutting down all shops inside the Kohati Camp and warning that their permitted stay has ended and they must leave immediately.
Mujahid Shinwari, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said:
“Afghan refugees are facing very difficult conditions in Pakistan. During Ramadan, even the local markets they had set up inside the camps were closed. On any given day, Afghan refugees can be detained, sent to prison, and then deported to Afghanistan.”
Reports indicate that around 20,000 people currently live in Kohati Camp, most of whom are Afghans. Camp residents have requested local authorities to allow them until the third day of Eid to settle their businesses.
Analysts say that forced deportations create humanitarian pressure in Afghanistan because many returning families lack shelter and basic living facilities.
Political analyst Ahmad Khan Andar said:
“The Pakistani government is deporting Afghans from there without any consideration, seizing their property, money, and valuables before sending them back to Afghanistan. They aim to pressure the Islamic Emirate, knowing that large-scale returnees will increase economic stress and could trigger a humanitarian crisis.”
Analyst Mohammad Ismail Zadran added:
“I think Pakistan is following policies designed to destabilize its neighboring countries.”
The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has not commented on the latest developments, but previously stated that since the beginning of forced deportations from Pakistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it has provided resettlement support to millions of returning Afghan refugees.
